Kagwe Tea Factory in Kiambu has expressed interest in buying hundreds of acres of gazetted forest land in Laikipia to establish a plantation for wood fuel used in processing tea.
This is despite the High Court in Nakuru a few years ago declaring titles of parcels curved out of Marmanet Forest null and void. The court decision prompted the National Land Commission (NLC)under the leadership of Mohammed Swazuri to later publish an intention to cancel the title deeds.
Early this year, the factory through its advocates, Kamami and Wangu LLP based in Thika, wrote to the NLC seeking to a clarification on the ownership status of 84 parcels in the Laikipia/Nyahururu Settlement Scheme that it is interested in buying.
The said parcels measure between 2.02ha to 4.05ha.
“Our records indicate that these parcels were allocated to individual owners and registered at the Nanyuki Land Registry. However, subsequent communications from the Kenya Forest Service have suggested that some of the parcels may fall within the Marmanet Forest, a gazetted state forest,” the letter dated February 17, 2026 said in part.
The firm sought to know whether the parcels were legally excised from the forest and registered to private owners, their current ownership status as well as existence of supportive documents such as Registry Index Maps (RIMs), gazette notices or allocation records that can conclusively establish the status of the parcels.
It said the clarification is critical to solving ongoing disputes and in ensuring compliance with land ownership laws and forest conservation regulations.
In response, the NLC has tasked the Chief Land Registrar to verify the registration status of the parcels to facilitate further action.
